Nine West Concept Stores Resonate

BrandIndex
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Moving from bargain boots to snappy stilettos, US shoe retailer Nine West is working to refresh its image.

With 1,200 stores nationwide, the retailer is known for selling shoes that replicate runway trends without the high price associated with such styles. But the introduction of two new “concept stores” in New York City, along with other brand changes, indicates that the company intends to distinguish itself from other mall footwear retailers.

The concept stores, introduced in early September, use trendy decorating to showcase different shoe styles. One store, at 555 Madison Avenue, features black velvet ottomans and separate areas for boots, pumps, and animal print heels. The other, downtown at 577 Broadway, creates a bohemian vibe with turquoise walls and scenes of desert mountains. The chain has more ambitious plans to renovate all its stores.

Young female shoppers seem to be responding to these stylish changes. According to YouGov BrandIndex’s “Quality” measurement, Nine West lagged behind the shoe retailers sector for most of August. But since September, quality perception of the brand has been relatively high, corresponding with the introduction of the concept stores. At the beginning of August, the perceived quality of Nine West’s products was at a two-month low score of 12, but by the beginning of October, it had reached a two-month high score of 36.

The gap in perceived quality between the shoe retailers sector and Nine West has also changed in favor of the brand. While in early August, the sector was eight points in perceived quality ahead of Nine West, that gap shrank steadily until the positions reversed. Now, Nine West is eighteen points ahead of the category.

Nine West and the shoe retailers sector’s “Quality” scores were determined from asking respondents, “Does this brand represent high quality or low quality?” The shoe retailers sector includes brands such as DSW Shoes, Famous Footwear, J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, Marshall’s, Payless, Shoe Carnival, and Shoe Pavilion. Results were filtered for women between the ages of 18 and 34. BrandIndex scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

Quality scores for Nine West and shoe retailers sector among women 18-34 (1 August 2012 to 8 October 2012)